Esther Hayut אסתר חיות
Daughter of Romanian Holocaust survivors who became the 12th President of Israel's Supreme Court. Led the bench through one of the most turbulent periods in its history, including the 2023 judicial-reform debate, the October 7 Hamas atrocities, and the historic January 2024 ruling on the Reasonableness Amendment, which she authored from semi-retirement during the statutory three-month window.
Background
Born in 1953 in Herzliya to parents who survived the Holocaust in Romania and the Soviet Union, Hayut served in the IDF, practiced commercial law, and joined the Tel Aviv District Court in 1990 before her 2003 Supreme Court appointment. She became Vice President in 2014 and President in October 2017.
Notable record
- Authored the 8-7 majority opinion of 1 January 2024 striking down the Reasonableness Amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, issued from semi-retirement under the statutory three-month window that allows justices to complete cases they heard before retirement
- Joined the 12-3 majority on the same panel affirming the Court's theoretical authority to review Basic Laws that undermine Israel's core identity as a Jewish and democratic state
- Wrote the 10-1 majority opinion in 2021 upholding Basic Law: Nation-State, the first time the Court formally reviewed a Basic Law on the merits and declined to invalidate it
- Led the Court with public dignity through the 2023 protest movement, the October 7 Hamas massacre, and the multi-front war that followed
Today
Retired in October 2023 at the mandatory age of 70, just nine days after the October 7 Hamas atrocities. Continues to engage in public legal discussion as a respected former president.
Why it matters
Her presidency closed the chapter that Barak opened, the era of the activist Court, and her January 2024 ruling left her successors and the elected branches to define what comes next.
Cite this page
Esther Hayut, President of the Supreme Court (2017-2023). The State of Israel. https://thestateofisrael.com/justice/esther-hayut